Unit
by averyhyperhanyou
Summary: Following the wave mission, Naruto transfers to a Special Operations Force codename Unit, and is quickly taken in as one of them. Trained by the best in Konoha, he quickly advances his power. But not is all as it apears in the Shinobi world...
1. One Simple Thing

A/n: Just a new story idea I had floating around. I know I have several other stories up, and I can't complete them for one reason. My writing when I was writing them was horrendous at best. I cannot bring myself to read them the entire way through, much less finish them myself. But this story came to me, after many years of not writing, and I felt the need to write it down. Why? I don't know, who knows it may go somewhere and it may not, but good news is I have the first few chapters planned out already, so no worries on that.

Anyways, read and review guys, and enjoy, Unit.

**Unit**

**Chapter 1**

**One Simple Thing.**

One Simple Thing.

On Simple Difference in a Story set in Stone.

On Simple Difference, Can change the course of everything we have known.

Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinjuriki of the Kyuubi, Ninja of Konohagakure, and Genin level Shinobi. Many words could be used to describe the young blonde boy, impatient, stubborn, and loyal. But if one were to ask said boy what he would use to describe himself at this current point in time, exactly, he would choose but one word.

Bored.

Complete, Total, Inhibited boredom conquered the young man's mind as he waited for his team. He sighed gently, his eyes wandering upwards as he sat at the Training Field, waiting for Sakura-Chan, That Bastard, and his Cyclopes of a Sensei. It had been a total of three days, Three days sense they had returned from the wave mission. Three days sense his eyes had been opened up to the horror of the Shinobi world. Three days sense he had felt the total weight of what he had chosen to do for the rest of his life.

He wouldn't change one thing about it.

Lifting himself up with a grunt, he glanced around the training field, his Orange jacket rustling softly in the wind, before he rubbed the back of his head. Maybe he had gotten the time wrong, when they were supposed to meet, he wasn't sure. He had a habit of doing that, forgetting things at the most inopportune moments. Shrugging gently he lifted his body upwards, preparing to start his personal training for the day, and deciding to work on his Taijutsu. He would get so good at it; he would completely dominate that bastard Sasuke. Grinning softly, Naruto thrust his hand into the hair, speaking loudly as he did so, with a little hop in his step.

"Ha! Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll get soooo good at Taijutsu that I can beat that little prick Sasuke and Sakura-Chan will finally start loving ME, instead of that bastard. Let's get this sta—"His ears perked up, his sentence stopped mid motion. He had sensed something, at the edge of his mind, and the only reason he had was because of years and years of detecting danger in the form of the villagers.

Danger.

Warning.

Hostile.

These words flashed through his mind, all in a matter of seconds, as his hand discreetly started moving towards his Kunai holster. He let it inch along, being very careful to not alert whoever was watching that they had been discovered. If it was a villager looking to hurt him, they would never notice the small actions he was making. If it was a Shinobi however, he would be in trouble.

His hand strayed ever so close to it, his hands moving towards the button on the holster, preparing to unbutton it. He heard the soft clicking sound, signifying that he had successful gotten the button off. Any Shinobi would be on top of him by now, so it must be a Villager.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you boy…"

Not a villager.

The voice had come from his far left, and upon hearing it Naruto spun on the balls of his feet, his hands dipping slightly into this pouch to grip a few shuriken in his fingers. In one fluid motion, he flung the Shuriken at the bushes to his left.

Suddenly, a figure moved out of the bushes. A male figure, based on his stance and movement, Naruto deduced. Said figures hands moved upwards swiftly, snatching the shuriken out of the air and launching them back at Naruto. Naruto's eyes widen, his sense's flying off the charts at the impending danger, his body moving quickly to react. Forget a fancy dodge to show off his skill as a ninja, those Shuriken where moving so fast that he would be unable to dodge save for one thing. Launching himself in to action, Naruto put all his strength into his next move.

He fell, onto his butt.

Hard.

"Heh, having a little trouble there kid? Lemme teach you something about tossing shuriken. You don't hold them in your fingers. Place them in between your knuckles, grip them, and twist your wrist while you throw them. Twist your hips while you do, and release. Like so." The male Shinobi in front of him let his hand drop suddenly into his Kunai pouch, his hands producing several shuriken in an instant. Naruto's eyes widened once more, as his body launched into the air, the Shuriken that he hadn't even seen the male release sailing under him.

Landing with a grunt, Naruto glared at the man in front of him, taking in his features with one glance. Soft brown eyes, black hair, and a no headband signifying a relation to this village what so ever.

Enemy Ninja then, infiltrator of the village. Naruto had to stop him, before he could proceed with whatever nefarious plans he had. Dropping his body low, Naruto charged at the man, bringing his arm around for a quick right cross on the man's face. The man snorted once, before slapping his punch aside, and slamming his fist into Naruto's face.

It was the hardest hit Naruto had taken to date, and it sent him flying backwards. Growling in pain, his vision swimming, Naruto set his stance hard. Creating a base to keep himself balanced, he glared at the man, who stared at him with something akin to slight surprise.

"Well now, you are an interesting child aren't you… what's your name?" The male spoke, his body shifting from an on guard position to a relaxed one. Naruto's eyes shifted slightly at the action, this meant the man didn't seem him as a threat. Growling out, Naruto formed the hand signs for Kage Bushin, and spoke.

"Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to kick your ass. KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTUS". With that, the small training field was filled with copies of the Orange and blue ninja. The male in front of him whistled softly, glancing around the clearing at the number of copies.

"Impressive… At least fifty copies created from such a young boy. This will be slightly entertaining." With that, the man let his hand move to his pouch once more. Naruto growled out, his body shifting, as he watched the man produce two Kunai, holding one in each hand.

Then suddenly, the man vanished.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, his gaze shifting around the clearing, as puffs of smoke started appearing. His mind filled with images of the man appearing for a brief second, taking out a clone, then of the same man vanishing again. He didn't understand what was going on, how one person could move so fast. Suddenly, Naruto's vision was confronted with a body in front of him. His eyes widened, his body twisted, but it was all too slow.

The last thing Naruto felt was the back end of a kunai against his temple, before his body dropped to the ground, unconscious. The rest of the clones, with the destruction of there creator, dispelled in one large puff.

The man sighed, looking down at the small boy, then scratching the back of his head, he spoke.

"Mah, didn't realize that was the original… Oh well. Gotta go see the old man now about this boy… He could be useful." With that, the male twisted on his heels, and with a simple Shushin, Vanished.

Naruto wouldn't awake for another hour, and when he did, he would immediately move to find the old man, and warn him about a Shinobi infiltrating the village.

-Hokage's Office-

"Absolutely Not. He isn't ready, he's still just a Genin and recently graduated at that. There is no way in hell I'm going to approve your request Shinji," Sarutobi spoke, his hands folded in front of him, as he looked at the Shinobi in front of him. Shinji sighed gently, before taking a seat and letting legs rise to rest on the arm rest's, "And isn't an arm rest for your arm, not your leg?"

Shinji chuckled lightly, before shaking his head. He had to focus. Moving his legs back down to the floor, he spoke, his voice rising slightly as he tried to explain his reasoning to the old man.

"Sarutobi-Jiji, he is perfect for it though. He has incredible Chakra capacity, his speed is far above normal in danger situations, and he observed several details most Chunin would miss. Hell the boy took a hit that would take out most ANBU, and shook it off like it was nothing. He's new, and doesn't know much, I'll consent that. But that's exactly what we need! We need a fresh slate, something to mold into what we can use." Shinji spoke, his voice alive with passion. Sarutobi sighed gently, his arms moving up to rub his eyes.

He was way too old for this shit.

He let his body move backwards, resting gently against his chair as he sighed once more. There where perks for this, Naruto would grow quickly, but he would be subject to things most Shinobi didn't see in their entire life. He would be brought into a family, one that would care for him and watch his back, but he would be leaving the presence of his peers.

His through process suddenly stalled.

Peers? Most of the Genin Naruto's age treated him more like a burden more than a friend. They made fun of him, insulted his skills, and took him for less than he was worth. Far less. This assignment would change all of that. They didn't discriminate, they didn't hate. They where their own breed, and the more Sarutobi thought about it, the more he realized.

This would be exactly what the boy needed. But, he reasoned with himself, only if Naruto agreed to take the Transfer.

Opening his mouth to speak his consent, along with his parameters, he was cut off when the door suddenly burst open and Naruto ran in, his arms flailing as he spoke.

"OLD MAN! OLD MAN! THERES A ENEMY NINJA IN TH—"Naruto stopped mid sentence, staring at Shinji, his mouth open and his arms still above his head. Sarutobi briefly entertained the thought that he looked like a monkey.

"YOU! You're the guy who kicked my ass! Old man, this guys an enemy ninja from another village! He might be trying to kill you!" Sarutobi's eyebrow rose at Naruto's words, his lips twisting up slightly into a smile as he saw Naruto's posture shit to on guard. Waving his hand gently, he spoke softly to Naruto.

"If he was an enemy Shinobi, wouldn't he be trying to kill me as we speak, and not sitting at my desk talking to me?" Naruto deflated slightly at the old man's words, before his body shifted to an even larger danger posture, indicating he was ready to move in an instant.

"He could just be pretending to talk, and when you let your guard down, he would act." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed with Naruto's deduction skills. Chuckling gently, the aged Hokage waved his hand slightly, and waved it off.

"Naruto, this is Shinji. He is a Ninja of Konohagakure." Naruto's head shifted to the side lightly, as he studied the man in front of him, who raised his hand and spoke slightly, waving.

"Yo! How's the head kiddo?" Naruto growled softly at Shinji's words, his body shifting out of the on guard posture, and to what Sarutobi called the "Naruto Pissed" Posture.

That is, one hand on his side, the other pointing at the perpetrator, his head rose slightly and turned to the right. Sarutobi had to fight back the urge to laugh at the young boy.

"Yeah yeah, you kicked my ass! You got lucky, and got the drop on me! Gimme one reason why I shouldn't beat you up!" Shinji laughed gently, his eyes twisting to look at the Hokage. His body followed his head, as he let it rest against the chair, relaxing his posture.

"See? Add another to the 'what we need' list. Balls. Big Brass Solid ones." Naruto blinked, his hand moving to rub the back of his head, as he glanced at the old man.

Now Naruto was not, by any means, and idiot. Slow, stubborn and ignorant yes. But his mind was capable of a very quick thought process, which he only ever put to work when he felt he needed to. He could sense, he didn't know how but he could, that there was something more going on in this meeting then he was being told. And he also, by the words the man said about him, guessed it had something to do with him. Letting his body shift out of any posture, he looked at the old man he considered a grandfather, and spoke.

"Ano… Jiji-san, what's going on…?" Both men turned to look at Naruto, before Shinji smiled lightly and stood. Stretching gently he lifted himself out of the chair, and waved at Sarutobi, before turning to Naruto and speaking.

"It would be a pleasure to have you in our family." With that, Shinji walked past Naruto, patting him gently on the family as he did so. Naruto, meanwhile, was shocked at what he heard. Family? Did that mean someone wanted to adopt him? But that would make no sense, and he didn't want to be adopted anyways. He was rather attached to his last name, and he wasn't sure he trusted the man just yet. Moving his body silently to the chair, he looked at Sarutobi, and spoke.

"What's he mean…?"

Sarutobi sighed gently, and pulled out his pipe. Lifting the bag of tobacco, he took a small pinch and placed it in the pipe. Moving his hand to the drawer, he lifted a match from it and pushed some chakra into it, igniting it instantly. Moving it over the pipe, he drew in softly, before exhaling softly. Any harder and it would extinguish the flame, and weaker and it would not light. He knew he was making the boy wait for what he was going to say, but he had to think over the exact wording in what he wanted to get across.

"Naruto, Shinji… Has asked me to transfer you to his Unit. He saw something in you, something that has made him interested in you. But, "Sarutobi lifted his hand to cut off the boy's voice, "It is completely your choice. I cannot tell you any more about him or the Unit for which he works, other than that in it… You would be accepted as family immediately. You would be one of them, and every single one of them would watch out for you. They would watch your back on mission, teach you, and help you grow to be the strongest possible Shinobi you could be."

Naruto's eyes widened at each statement his Hokage made. Family. Friends. Strong Shinobi's to teach him everything he ever dreamed of. It was perfect; it was exactly what he wanted. To be accepted, to be taught and cared for.

But…

"Hokage-sama… If I may have a day to think about it, I would gladly tell you my response as soon as I have decided." Naruto spoke, his head raised to look at the old man. It was incredibly rare for Naruto to use such a formal tone and to address his authority was unheard of, but Sarutobi nodded his head.

"Thank you…" With that, Naruto turned and left his office. Sarutobi stood softly, and moved to the window, his mind moving over the day's events. Part of him hoped the boy would stay with his team, but a larger part of him hoped that he would take the transfer. He didn't understand why, considering what it would entitle, what it would cost the boy.

He sighed gently, his body resting against his window as he thought over the changes to the boy that would happen if he took this. He would see the horrors of the world, and the impact could change his very being. He would experience things, horrible things that even ANBU didn't normally partake in. His body would be strained, and his mental will tested. He would experience firsthand, the horrors of Murder, Genocide, Slavery and many other unspeakable terrors.

And yet… He would have a family; he would have friends who would always have his back. He would have a place to call his own and the prestige of serving with one of the best fighting forces in the Elemental countries, even if he could never boast about it. He would never have to feel alone anymore, and any of the before mentioned things would not isolate him, but make him one of them. They where the few, the survivors of untold horrors, the men and woman who could always relate to anything he could possible see.

The more Sarutobi thought about it, the more he realized that Naruto needed this, more than anything he needed so far. He needed friends, and family. He would get both if he chose to join. He just prayed to the Kami above that Naruto realized it as well. If not, he feared for what would happen to the boy in the long run. Sure he might turn out alright, but there was a high probability of him being shunned and neglected for the entirety of his Shinobi Career.

Sighing gently Sarutobi left the balcony, returning to his chair and the evilness that was paperwork.

-Hokage Monument-

Naruto let his head raise slightly, taking in the clouds above him. His mind was a sea of thoughts, many regarding the opportunity he had in front of him. Sighing softly he let his body hit the ground behind him, feeling the faint trace of the rocks on his back. He knew in a few moments it would become hard, and he would feel the jagged edges of said rocks in his back, but for now it was a welcome bliss.

A family, Friends, people to train him to his full potential. It was what he always wanted, always dreamed of having, and yet he didn't want to leave team seven. Sure Sakura-Chan hit him all the time, and was mean and yelled at him for everything, and fawned over that bastard Uchiha all the time. And sure Sasuke-teme was an asshole, and was almost never nice to him, and the few words not intended to cause harm where all derogatory in some way or another. And sure Kakashi-Sensei barely seemed to have taught him anything.

They where his team? Right…?

But how could he even call them his team, with the way they treated him. With the way they resented his presence 'Sakura', or with the way they thought he was useless 'Sasuke', or with how he was basically ignored 'Kakashi'. He almost never got any real training done when he was with his team, and even when he did; he was always overshadowed by Sasuke. How, in Kami's name, could he ever call them his team with how they treated him?

He had seen the other teams, how they all got along, all worked together beyond what he could ever imagine his own team working like. How they had each other's backs, routinely went out to lunch together with their Sensei's, how they acted like friends and not just… Co-workers.

Like how his own team treated him.

But he had hope, god damnit that it would all get better. That Sasuke would stop being an ass, Sakura-chan would stop hating him, and Kakashi would realize how brilliant he really was. That they would become an unstoppable force one to be reckoned with and feared, one to be respected.

But… The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed it would happen.

Groaning softly, Naruto lifted his body up, as the ground had become once again uncomfortable. Sighing gently, he stood and walked to a tree, where he then let his head flop forward.

_Thawp._

_ Thawp._

_ Thwap._

-Hokage's Office-

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

The feared Sharingan Kakashi, User of over a thousand Jutsu, and open pervert alike, said as he walked into his superiors office. Sarutobi glanced up at him and motioned for him to have a seat. He just had to finish this last piece of paperwork.

Kakashi took the seat without another word, and the only sound that filled the air was the soft scribble of a pen on paper, and then seconds later a stamp being pressed down on the paper. Kakashi watched as Sarutobi moved the paper to the 'out' box with a slight shuffle, before he turned his attention to Kakashi. Sarutobi knew there was no way that he could beat around the bush with this subject, so it would be better to come right out and say it.

"I may be transferring Naruto from your team." Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise, and his face contorted in something akin to anger. He let his body lean forward softly, and spoke with a slight edge in his voice.

"No, absolutely not, you cannot take him from my team! He is my student, and my solider, and I have worked pretty hard to get ANY semblance of teamwork out of the ramble of what I was given. Naruto is the only reason I even teach them. Sakura's useless till she gets her head out off Sasuke's ass, and Sasuke's useless till he gets his out of Itachi's, the only one not useless is Naruto! I absolutely refuse to let him go!" Kakashi let his body fall backwards, his eyes holding a dangerous glint to them as Sarutobi watched him. He was about to speak once more to the old man, when the old man cut him off.

"I'll be Transferring him to Unit."

Silence. Kakashi sat there and stared in shock at what the Hokage had said, his mind running at thousands of miles a second. Finally, he decided on what to say, his eyes twinkling softly as he spoke.

"Ah, well then that's fine. I can't wait to see what our brightest fire has to show us then. If you'll excuse me Hokage-Sama, I really must be getting back to my book." With that, Kakashi stood and left without another word. Sarutobi chuckled lightly under his breath, surprised that that went as good as it had. Letting his hand drop to his desk drawer, he withdrew his pipe.

Now it was all up to Naruto.

-Hokage monument-

Naruto sighed gently, his head hurt from the over thinking of everything that was going on around him, but he had finally come to a decision. Letting his body move to the edge of the cliff, he stepped off and let his body plummet to the ground.

He was a Shinobi, so he wasn't in any real danger. But he loved the feeling, the complete weightlessness that came with falling. The way the air moved around his body, hugging him like a blanket, or an Embrace. Maybe that was why he loved it, because he never knew the warm embrace of a mother or father. Maybe, but that was a thought for another time. Twisting his body mid-air he landed on his feet, and started making his way to the Hokage Tower.

Pushing open the first door he was confronted with the secretary, who after years and years of fighting with Naruto, just waved him in. it would be useless to deter the blonde boy entry, she had tried many many times, and if he was walking into something he shouldn't be then that was his fault. Maybe he'll learn to follow the rules.

Sarutobi glanced upwards as a familiar blonde head peeked into the doorway, before smiling and speaking.

"Ahhh Naruto, come in come in!" Naruto smiled softly at the old man's exuberance, and let himself enter. Feeling the soft click of the door behind him, he walked with a subdued presence to the chair. Taking a seat he looked at the old man in front of him, and spoke two words that forever changed the course of history.

-Konohagakure; Hidden Compound-

"Aye Ghost, we got a new report in. Seems like clouds up to something, troops are mobilizing and the Hokage wants us to go check it out." Said one Shinobi, his eyes scanning over the mission papers and smiling gently. He loved his job with a Passion.

"You heard the man gents, let's get this party started! Claws up in twenty, suit for combat condition 4, were dealing with cloud here. Possible interaction with a Jinjuriki so have all your shit together, especially those seals! I don't want to be taking you home to mommy explaining why you shit your pants. Get your Rollers and your Launchers ready gents. Its gonna be a bumpy ride." Spoke another Shinobi, his voice gruff. There was a flurry of activity by them all, as 9 Shinobi moved into action. Body armor was strapped on, Launchers where equipped, and weapons pouches checked and double checked.

"Aye Ghost, when we getting our last member? We're one short sense Talon bit the dust." Said one Shinobi, busy sharpening his sword as he watched the leader move. Ghost turned to him and smiled softly, making a soft sign for their fallen brother, before speaking gently.

"Soon gentlemen, we should be getting another member. He's a young one though, and it's up to use to train him to the best of our ability. Now enough chit chat you fucking pussies, Get your shit together and let's go!" The rest grunted in response, and laughed, after all you don't live forever.

And every mission could be your last.

What they did was the black listed missions, the missions that had to be done, but couldn't be known about. They where the best at what they did, and no one could touch them. They didn't exist, officially, and they never would. They where experts at moving undetected, taking out targets, and stealing information from the most highly secured facilities. They could get anywhere in the elemental countries within a few hours, no matter the distance. They had the best and brightest of the past two generations, and had another joining their ranks soon. Anbu? Those children had nothing on them. They where the best of the very best and this is what they did.

- Hokage's Office-

Taking a seat he looked at the old man in front of him, and spoke two words that forever changed the course of history.

"I'm in."

-End Chapter One-

A/N: Review. Gonna have to wait till next chappie to see what happens folks, but I'm already starting to write it. This is a story that has basically limitless potential, and all ideas are welcome. It'll be quite awhile till I get the story rolling, so no worries on ideas. Review gents.


	2. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

RATCHET MCCLOUD IM ONTO YOU! You have liked every story I have ever written, so thank you. I figured now would be a great time to say that I really appreciate the help, and that you need to BLOODY REVIEW for once lol. To my knowledge I have never gotten a review from you. So REVIEW THIS CHAPTER D :

Anyways, onto the chapter yes?

**Unit**

**Chapter 2**

**Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.**

We are the Shadows in the night.

We are the Whispers in the dark.

We Are Unit.

-Outskirts of Cloud Country-

"Change of plans boys. Just got a message from our dear old Hokage, apparently there's an encampment of Nuke-nin near our position that we're being ordered to take out. You gotta wait a few more days to fuck your ladies." Ghost spoke with a grin, looking over his contingent of soldiers. The mission in cloud had been a bust, apparently they where only mobilizing troops for an exercise. Not much on any information, but looked like war was going to be averted for another day. Which was good, they had all seen enough war in their lifetimes. Enough death and destruction that they would be just fine without seeing it for the remainder of their lives.

About an hour ago he had received a coded message from the Hokage ordering this mission. It was a standard one, taking out an encampment of Nuke-nin, something they did all the time. So the unexpected mission's only downfall was that some of the men wouldn't be able to get laid for a few more days. They would have to suck it up though; they had a job to do. And no matter how much they bitched about it, they where professionals, and would do their job.

"Reports say about 30 Nuke-nin have banded together and are making raids on surrounding countries. Normally we would let them be, considering this is Cloud and nowhere NEAR Konoha, but Hokage-sama is worried that they might recruit more and become a bigger threat in the future. So we've been ordered to take care of it now." Ghost said, looking over his troops. The one closest to him, Eagle, groaned and dropped backwards.

"Damnit all, I had this fine ass Blonde waiting for me at home." The other men snickered at this, enjoying his discomfort. Ghost chuckled to himself and clapped Eagle on the shoulder, before speaking himself.

"Do a good job, and I'll buy you a round of drinks when we get home." Eagle glanced up at Ghost and grinned, before giving an impromptu salute and nodding. Ghost nodded in return, before turning to everyone and speaking one last time.

"We'll ladies, get your asses in GEAR! We move in 20. Longshot, Owl, take up positions in the surrounding area. Drop the temperature and start rolling in mist. Shouldn't seem too suspicious as long as you do it slow. There is a lake near here. The rest of you, start taking up positions around the camp. We move on my orders. Go word is Miranda. You know the drill." Ghost nodded at them all, as they all started there bustle of movement. He grinned himself, and fingered his blade, running his hands over the grip.

-Nuke-Nin encampment-

Shizun Hiroshio left his village when he was 17, ranked Jounin. He knew that what he had was the making of a powerful force. 10 Jounin and the rest Chunin, as well as one ANBU. They came from all walks of life, but all left the village for one reason or another. None of that mattered to Shizun; all he cared about was survival. Which is why he had gathered this many Nuke-nin in one place. It was dangerous he knew, because they had the chance of attracting too much attention. But cloud was pretty much isolated, and the part of cloud they were in was incredibly isolated. Cloud wouldn't bother with them, if they even knew. And no other country would dare send anyone into another country on a combat mission. Doing so would be the equivalent to war.

Sighing gently, he let his arms coil closer around him. The temperature in the clearing had started to drop as the sun went down, and he could feel the chill of the night air creeping up his arms. Rubbing them slightly harder to stay warm, he yawned gently. It was getting late, almost 8 at night judging by the position of the quickly setting sun. Letting his body heat itself up through movement, he started walking along the uneven ground towards his tent. It was time for him to get some sleep.

"Hey Jiku, tell those Chunin guards to not fall asleep, or I'll have their heads in the morning ight?" The Shinobi he addressed nodded to him, before walking off to find the Chunin. Shizun nodded to himself and glanced once more around the air as he pushed aside the rough edge of his tent.

'_Getting kinda foggy out.'_

-Chunin Guards-

Tiko and Tuko Ichizama both left the village at the same time. Brothers, and friends, they had been through much together, and had both attained the rank of Chunin before they realized that the village held no more form them. So they had left Rock, and had fought their way to where they were now. Easily twice the strength they were when they left the village, they knew they were close to Jounin level. Not quite there, but close.

Twisting softly at the sound of approaching footsteps, they saw Jiku, Shizun's second in command, walking towards them. Relaxing softly, they squinted their eyes to see through the slowly rolling in fog, fighting against the chills in their bodies from the cold. Nodding at both of them, Jiku tossed them both a canteen.

"Some rum for the night boys, to keep you warm. Don't down it, because if you're drunk on duty you _know _Shizun will have your heads. Stay warm tonight boys, and awake. It's just one night and I know you can do it." Both boys nodded in appreciation at the older man, who nodded back and walked off. Sighing gently Tuko unscrewed the cap and took a soft swig, feeling the alcoholic heat warm his stomach instantly, before handing it to his brother.

"That's some good stuff, actually. Apparently when we caught those bandits trying to get into the camp last week, we were remembered" he spoke with a grin, his brother grunted in amusement, before taking a swig as well. The fog was growing heavier around them, and it was starting to make seeming any distinct shape hard. But they shook it off, sighed, and started walking along the camp to the outskirts. They had already picked out a nice spot where the tree's blocked most of the wind from the night, keeping the chill from getting to their bones and limbs. Standing there, they let their eyes gaze off into the distance, both shivering every once in awhile from the cold night.

"Man, guard duty sucks, nothing exciting ever happens on it." Tuko spoke, his body shifting on his feet to keep warm. Tiko nodded, and yawned.

Guard duty did suck.

-Outskirts of Nuke-nin Camp-

Daichi Usumo, Call sign Longshot, was one of a kind. Literally. A long lost descendent of the Kaguya, his family had lost almost all abilities to use their signature blood limit. But they had retained the abilities to change their forearm bones and their hand, which was what made him such a great long range fighter. Settling himself down against the hard bark of the wood, and feeling its bite in his back, he reached into his pack and took out his scope.

It was incredibly expensive to make, but only the best for Unit members. Thermal optics, and a zoom option that was near impossible to replicate, he fitted the straps around his Bicep. Tightening the straps to make sure it was correctly placed; he glanced through the scope and took out the pad of paper beside him.

The scope would do him no good in targeting if it wasn't level and calibrated. Glancing at the pre-written notes he had observed from the landscape, he calibrated the scope. 5 notches down, 2 to the left. Nodding softly to himself, he glanced through his scope once more, before whispering softly.

"Range."

Haru Nomaki, Call sign Owl, had a unique bloodline. Many people where under the assumption that there were only three doujutsus in existence. Sharingan, Byakugan and the Rinnegan. This was untrue, these where just the only ones that gave you a distinct advantage in battle, and the remaining ones had faded into obscurity. So obscure at times, that many didn't even have a name anymore. Owl's was like that.

He could extend his eyesight, take in range and distance in an instant, and had near perfect night vision. His eyes scanned over the surrounding area, observing the two Chunin settling down for the night watch, he spoke softly to his partner behind him.

"100 Meters. Wind, "With this, he stuck a finger into the air, letting the wind brush against it, he grinned softly, "Not signifigant enough to affect flight. You're good to go."

Longshot nodded, and lifted his arm upwards and perpendicular with his body. Letting his head rest on his shoulder, he let his eyes look through the scope on his arm, settling back and waiting orders.

Ghost stood with Ferret on the outskirts of the camp, his body pressed against a tree. The cold bit at his skin, icing it and making it feel as if there were thousands of needle pricks along it, but he had been trained to ignore much worse. Lifting his hand to the side of his head, he clicked the radio on the side of his head, speaking softly into it.

"Report." Static filled the air, before the reports of his men started filtering it.

_"Longshot, in position. Target sighted, two Charlie's."_

_"Eagle, in position. Target sighted, one Charlie."_

_"Hawk in position. Target sighted, Three Charlie's, requesting backup for Engagement." _Ghost nodded softly, having expected something like this. Nodding to Ferret, he watched the man move towards Hawks position, his body fading along the mist. Seconds later he heard his reports filter back in, the men knowing to pause at said times.

_"Ferret, arrived at position."_

_ "Shark, in Position. Zero Charlie's."_

_ "Pincer, in position, four Charlie's."_

_ "Python, in position. Two Charlie's."_

Ghost nodded, knowing everyone was in position and ready to move. He let his hand move upwards to click the radio, before he spoke once more, a slight amount of humor in his voice.

"Get comfy boys, we move right when it gets dark. Freezing balls out." He heard a few chuckles through his radio. Now came the part each of his men, including himself, hated. The waiting.

You could be discovered at any time; some lucky son of a bitch could wander up on you and get the drop on you. Then the whole op would be blown to shit. But it was what they had to do, they where the best, and they knew the risks. Sighing gently Ghost spoke into his radio once more, his voice soft in the air, barely a whisper.

"Thermal optics on boys, do not go hot unless I give the order."

He got a course of yes sirs through the radio, and smiled gently to himself. Settling backwards, he let his body shift in position against the tree, his arms staying at his side and keeping him hidden from sight. Lifting his hand to his head, he pulled on the goggles sitting upon the top of his head, bringing them down over his eyes, and flipping the switch lightly. Suddenly, all body heat in the surrounding area was picked up, and he could see the sluggish movement of the nuke-nin camp, exhausted from the days work.

Oh how he hated waiting.

-Tiko and Tuko-

They where freezing. The fog had only grown denser in their time, and the night air had seemly taking on a mind of its own. The bitter cold now bit and tore at their skin, as if trying to tear them limb from agonizing limb. But they endured, shifting there bodies closer to them as the sun finally dipped behind the horizon. They knew it was only gonna get colder, and as the sunlight faded, they where proven right. The air grew damp, but refreshing. Yet every breath stole at their lungs like a thousand needles inside their very own bodies. It was almost dark, and the sunlight had just faded away, when Tuko suddenly turned to his brother.

"Hey, did you hear that…?"

-Ghost-

"Alright boys, it's show time. We are Miranda."

-Longshot- 

_ "Alright boys, it's show time. We are Miranda."_

Hearing those words, Longshot suddenly pushed chakra into his fingers, feeling the bones move inside of them, he centered his scope on the Chunin on the left, before pushing his chakra forcibly out of his body. The bone left his finger with barely a whisper, but hit a branch on the way he hadn't sighted and snap it clean off. He prayed that wouldn't change the trajectory on his target, because if it did, this whole op could go to hell.

-Tiko and Tuko-

"Hey, did you hear that?" Tiko turned to look at his brother, about to reply with a negative, when suddenly a hole materialized in his brother's skull. His brother slumped to the ground lifeless, blood pouring out of the wound, as brain matter splattered against the tree behind them. He stared in horror at the loss of his brother, his lifelong companion.

They had drank from the same tits, had grown up together, and suddenly he was gone.

He snapped back to reality, his body twisting to scream the alarm out, his mind screaming its own alarm. A scream to kill, to find and kill whoever had done this, but that message, and his life, where cut off in an instant as another bone bullet entered his skull and exited out the other side.

-Longshot-

"Two confirmed kills, Owl and Longshot moving forward" Longshot nodded to Owl, moving his body forward along the trees quickly. They had to move quickly, and start taking out targets around the camp, before they could move in. hopefully they could get it all in silently.

-Ghost-

He dropped silently behind the two Chunin, his hands moving swiftly to his blades and drawing them without a sound. Moving between and behind the Chunin, he suddenly stood, standing next to them and moving his blades to their necks silently. Across the Jugular, slowly, but deeply enough to ensure the cut. It would cut their vocal chords to keep them from crying out alarm as they died, stopping them from having any possibility of raising the alarm

The blades slide into their skin with but a whisper, before he pulled them back and let the two bodies fall. Both Chunin grasped at their necks, their eyes wide in horror as there lifeblood poured from the open wounds over their hands. They where choking on their own blood, a gruesome death, but one that was unavoidable if they wanted to succeed in their mission.

He nodded softly, before letting his body move forward quickly, to another Chunin just ahead. The Chunin turned just in time to see him appear, and then his life was quickly cut short in the form of a sword through the neck, the blade piercing the flesh quickly and effortlessly. Twisting it gently, Ghost pulled it out and to the side, cutting through the neck bone, and letting the body drop.

So far, everything was going according to plan. Moving his hand to his radio, he spoke softly into it.

"Report."

The reports were flying in, one after another, all saying the same thing. Confirmed kills, Charlie's down. Except for one. Growling softly he spoke into the Radio once more.

"Eagle, Report!"

Static.

Suddenly the night air was filled with an explosion. Every head in the camp and surrounding it turned in the direction of the explosion, as Ghost radio suddenly exploded with a frantic scream.

"The mother fucker bent down to pick up a fucking canteen, my blade went right over him. Lost balance and the fuckers onto me!" Ghost growled out before screaming into his headpiece, his voice carried over the channels to all team members. Looks like they had just lost the element of surprise.

"Covers blown! Go hot! Go Hot!"

-Inside the Camp-

Shizun bolted awake at the sound of an explosion, his body taking a sluggish moment to wake, before his eyes widened and he flew into action. Throwing on his clothes, he ran out of the tent to look around. It was in complete disarray. Jutsu where flying rampant and Shizun saw several figures he didn't recognize completely dominating his forces. Growling out loud, he recognized that this was a losing battle, and turned to take off. He made it to the edge of the camp before someone appeared in front of him. Taking the figure in, he growled softly before drawing his blade.

Shark grinned softly, his own hand moving to his blade to draw it, before he dropped low and dashed at the man. Swinging his blade parallel to the Shizun's body, he watched as his blade was deflected to the right, before the man in front of him spun and launched a kick at his midsection. Twisting his body out of the way, he brought his free hand down to slap the kick into the ground, hopefully causing the man to lose his balance. Shizun, however, had other plans, and let his foot slide, going into the splits, thrusting his sword forward at the males body. Shark jumped and flipped over it, bringing his blade down at Shizun's head.

Shizun saw it coming, the second the man had leaped, and he tried to move his body to deflect. He couldn't move forward, cause his arms where in the way in his position, and the blade was moving too fast to let him move backwards. Franticly twisting his blade, he tried to get it into position to block the sword strike, but he knew it was too late.

Shark landed softly, before flicking his blade to clear it of the blood from the males head. Grinning softly, he turned to go back into the battle, leaving the split head of the former nuke-nin to leak brain matter and blood on the ground.

-Konohagakure—

Naruto sighed gently, his body resting against his lumpy mattress. He never got any good sleep on the damn thing. It was always too lumpy and too hard to lull him into that bliss, and he hated that. The coils pressed against his back in uncomfortable positions, the mattress old and torn in several places, the pillow old and hard from being slept on many nights. But that was the last thing on his mind right now. Today would be the day he told his team, former team he amended himself, that he would no longer be with them. But those weren't the only thoughts on his mind. Prime in his mind right now was his life… The life of a Solider.

He never fully grasped what he was getting into. When he was a child, it was about the prestige. The adventure of being one of the Shinobi of Konohagakure, he would go on all of these crazy adventures, and he would be famous the world over. That was his idea of what being a Shinobi was.

It was completely wrong.

He had come to realize, especially the past few days, that the life of a soldier was a hard one. His mind was racing a mile a minute, about it, and he needed to escape. It felt like it was grasping at his very being and suffocating him. And he couldn't take it; he couldn't take so many thoughts in his head at once. So he decided to escape.

Leaping out of bed, he threw on his jacket, and walked out the door. Heading to his favorite ramen joint, he smiled softly at the thoughts of the kind old man and his cute daughter. The feel of the worn stool under him, the smell of fresh cooked ramen filling the air. It was his sanctuary and his second home. If he could, he would gladly move into it, and have a step up over his old apartment which was in dire need of repairs.

Smiling gently, Naruto opened the flap to the ramen join, before yelling into the back room.

"Oi Jiji! Gimme a large bowl of ramen yeah? The biggest you got, I'm feeling a large bowl right now." Naruto took a seat at the counter, his hands swinging impatiently at his side. He heard the old man yell from the back room in acknowledgement, and smiled. He loved this place, and very little things could bother him here. The smell of the ramen floated from the back room, filling his nose with a wonderful sensation, and his mouth with saliva in anticipation of his coming meal.

"Shinobi are you…?" Naruto turned at the sound a voice beside him, his eyes landing on a middle aged man. Scars criss crossed his face, and he had a forehead protector on his arm. Naruto nodded once, intimidated by the man, but blinked when the man chuckled at him. The man turned from his ramen to Naruto, and reached out his hand to shake, which Naruto hesitantly took. The man's hand was calloused, and torn in places, signifying a lot of hard work every day.

"Hiro Shizuname, former Shinobi of Konohagakure, it's a pleasure to meet you. And you are?" Naruto blinked, his mind registering the words the man had said. He was in the reserves, apparently, but the way he held himself screamed danger. Naruto cleared his throat and spoke, his voice slightly shaky due to all he had been through in the past few days.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Genin of Konohagakure. Ano… what are you doing here?" The man laughed out loud at Naruto's question, before he spoke. His voice was gruff, but with a hint of amusement in it, and his eyes twinkled softly as he looked at the young blonde in front of him.

"Eating ramen of course! This is the best ramen join in all of Konohagakure, though I must admit I don't eat it that often. Have to watch my figure just in case I'm called into battle." Naruto blinked at that, and spoke his question before he even thought about what he was saying.

"Why not? Ramen is the food of the gods! A gift from Kami himself! I eat it every day, and I'm doing just fine!" The man blinked at his statement, before he smiled sadly and spoke, his tone changing from that of a cheerful man to one with a dark and burdened past.

"You don't know much about Shinobi life yet do you…" Naruto blinked, tilting his head to the side. He knew enough, he supposed, to get him by. He knew the horrors.

He would have to kill, he had accepted that, and he would probably be put in life threatening situations that would test him to his very being. But other than that, he didn't really see anything else he had to deal with. Seeing his confusion, the man turned back to his bowl, his eyes downcast and his voice heavy as he spoke.

"Shinobi are merchants of death. You've by now, probably accepted that you may die and that you may have to kill, yes?" Naruto's eyes widened slightly at what the old man had said, feeling slightly embarrassed to have been read so openly. The man chuckled, before he continued talking, "I see… boy the life of a Shinobi is not an easy path…"

"I know that, I know it's not going to be easy at all!" Naruto spoke, his voice alive with fire. The old man chuckled softly, before he continued to speak.

"You'll see friends die you know… " Naruto's eyes widened, his body deflating softly, as the old man continued to speak, " You'll be sitting next to your friend, someone you've fought and killed along side… as his guts hand out of him… and all you can do, is tell him its gonna be alright. That he's gonna see his wife and children again. You'll see people you've known for years, get their bodies ripped apart by enemy Jutsu… see them scrambling as they die, mumbling to themselves how much it hurts… and asking themselves why there arm won't go back on… why their legs are missing."

Naruto sat there, frozen, his mind registering what the old man was saying. His friends dying in front of him… Suddenly the full weight of what he had chosen to do was hitting him. But the man wasn't finished yet.

"You'll have to kill… yes, and you've accepted that. But what you haven't accepted yet is how bad it is… you will see their faces, hear their screams at night… wonder if they ever had a wife or child who will never get to see them again." The man continued on, his hand slowly twisting the chop sticks in the soup. Naruto sat there, frozen, his body unable to move. It felt as if someone had taking hold of his very being and held it in place. The man's eyes light up suddenly, as he spoke.

"But… you do what you must. You kill, and fight, and die for a country that holds everything you care about. You learn to deal with the stress of life one way or another, and you realize… no matter how misguided it might be, that if you're strong enough, if you're fast enough, silent enough… that you might be able to save every single one of your friends. However misguided that is, it's a strong comfort to have." The man smiled, and turned to Naruto, before turning back to his bowl and finishing it off. Standing, the man yawned and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good luck young Naruto, though… you may want to change out of something that screams 'I'm a target'. We don't want you getting killed now do we?" The man chuckled and walked out, leaving Naruto to sit there in silence.

He didn't notice when his bowl arrived, or the worried looks the old man and Ayame where giving him. He sat there for a good while longer, his though process running once more, before he finally got up and left the store, his ramen untouched.

-Border of cloud-

"Aye Ghost, you may wanna come look at this!" Lizard shouted from the opposite side of the now destroyed Nuke-nin camp. Dead bodies littered the clearing; there blood caused a stink in the air that made Ghosts men wretch in disgust. The foul taste and smell of blood was permeating in the air, twisting and flowing into their nostrils' with a smell they all knew far too well. The cleanup had been relatively easy, with no casualties on their side; His men where far to experienced for such a thing to happen with some minor Nuke-nin. A few minor wounds, nothing they couldn't handle. Now, they were searching the camp for any useful intelligence. Ghost turned towards the sound of the shout, and started walking over to where lizard was. Seeing the man hold out a scroll, he took it and glanced at his solider softly.

"What is it?" He asked, observing the scroll. All traces of humor and relaxation where gone with the next words out of Lizards mouth.

"Orochimaru."

His eyes widened, as his hands clasped to open to scroll. It was a missive, from the… Oto? He had heard of the village, of course, his team was some of the first to discover it being built. The village, however, was surrounded in mystery and wasn't signifigant enough to be a threat, so they hadn't investigated it further. Apparently that was a mistake, because according to this scroll, the leader of it was non-other than Konoha's Infamous nuke-nin Orochimaru of the Sanin. It would appear, according to this scroll, that he was recruiting Nuke-nin into his village, and that could be a very serious problem in the future. This was vital information they had to get back to the village as soon as possible.

The very thought of Orochimaru gathering his own forces was troubling. The fact that he was recruiting Nuke-nin to a village was even more disturbing. The man had a history of hate, a monolog of terror in a league all its own. He was one of the most feared men in the world, and he had a deep seated hatred of Konohagakure. This was information that had to be shared, that had to be brought to the attention of the Hokage. And it needed to be done twenty minutes ago.

"Good work lizard. Listen up boys, we move out in ten, get your gear together and let's go!" The men moved in a bustle of activity, there bodies moving quicker through the desolated ruins of the camp. Ghost read over the scroll once more, his mind running quickly.

_ 'Just what are you up to Orochimaru… ?'_

-Konohagakure-

Naruto walked along, ignorant of the world around him, too lost in his thoughts to truly process what was going on. His feet clapped along the uneven cobble road, his footing steady despite it. His body was numb, his mind truly alive for the first time. The buildings loomed tall above him, there shapes twisting and distorting in his mind, throwing his normal perspective of the village he loved dearly out the proverbial window. He knew, he knew exactly what Shinobi life was like, even if he didn't know firsthand. He knew that he would have to change, if he wanted to survive, and protect those close to him. He realized that life wasn't all candy and lollipops, that he would be faced with some of the hardest things he would ever have to face in the coming days. And he was equally surprised to find that he had been so ignorant of it before. So ignorant of the ways of the world, of his world, that he was incredibly surprised that he hadn't been killed on his first mission.

He only wore the orange jacket for attention. It was a deep seated need for people to pay attention to him, coming from the pain of neglect he had faced for the majority of his life. He understood that as a Shinobi, this was no good. To be seen, to be heard, to be noticed, was death to a Shinobi. He needed to be a shadow, someone who no one would notice, and he felt incredibly stupid for not noticing that before. But that wasn't the only problem on his list.

He realized, most importantly, just how weak he really was. Sure he could take some Genin and all civilians, but in retrospect there where thousands of ninja in the world and he was just one of the many at the bottom. He needed to change that, he needed to become strong enough to protect all those around him, and to do that he would need to throw him into training. He understood that now, and with it came a cold comfort and a single thought that he was fixated on.

To protect his people, he would throw away his humanity in battle. He would be merciless, efficient, and strong. He would kill when he needed to, and he would do it all with the thought that it was for the good of Konoha. He would become what he dreaded he would when he first started… and what he hadn't realized he was afraid of becoming before now.

A Solider.

Naruto turned a corner, heading towards one of the Shinobi shops he knew of, and pushed the rough wooden door open. Moving his body inside, he let the door close softly, before he started looking around. The man at the counter glanced up, and then glared at him as he entered. Naruto looked back, and met his eyes, and let the man observe him. The man sneered gently, before he spoke.

"What do you want?" Naruto's face twisted softly into a grimace, before he walked to the counter and set his hands on it, and spoke.

"Look if you have a problem with me, that's fine. I don't give a flying fuck. What I do care about, is getting out of these kill me clothes and getting something more suited to the life of a Shinobi. I don't want to be the one who was too obvious or two slow, and are the cause of my friend's deaths. So if your gonna serve me the do it, if not, then just know that someday, someone might die because of your ignorance of what I have." The man stepped backwards at what Naruto said, his eyes flashing through a series of thoughts. Suddenly, the man smiled, sadly, and spoke.

"Of course sir…"

Naruto nodded, and walked to the racks to pick out clothes. His hand strayed over several different ones, before he finally settled on a style he liked. Walking back to the corner, Naruto looked over some of the other gear.

"Give me a pair of Forearm Kunai Holsters, some of that body armor… And let me get that sword there too." He spoke, pointing at a sword on the shelf behind the man. It was a simple blade, pure black, which reflected little light. No hilt guard and a simple sheath to go along with it. The man nodded and pulled all of the items together, along with a set of Kunai and Shuriken.

"The Kunai and Shuriken are on the house…" Naruto smiled gently, his rage for the man fading slightly, before he nodded. The man counted up the total of what it would cost, and Naruto paid him. Leaving the store, Naruto's wallet felt significantly lighter in his pocket, but he reasoned that it was all for the better. Heading home, Naruto changed into his new clothes, before he headed out once more.

He still had to talk to his team.

He knew, deep down, that they would care. You didn't fight alongside someone to not grow some sort of bond with them. Naruto sighed, his body moving along the road once more. He was afraid, afraid of them hating him, afraid of them shunning him.

Afraid of them being like every other damn person in this village.

Maybe they would, he didn't know. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he needed to do this. He wasn't strong enough to protect them, even if he barely could admit it to himself. He wasn't strong enough to save them if he needed to, and he didn't want to be a liability. Sakura, Sasuke… They where his friends, first and foremost, even if they didn't treat him like that. And he would not be the one who watched them die when he could have done something. Sighing gently, Naruto nodded to himself, walking towards the bridge where he knew they would be meeting today.

-Konohagakure Team Seven Meeting Area-

"Where the hell is he!" Sakura screeched, her arms folding in front of her, as Kakashi sat next to them with his book. It was very unlike Naruto to be this late to anything, and deep down Sakura was worried. Sasuke wouldn't show it, but he was worried as well. Kakashi, however, knew what was taking the blonde so long, and was worried about the outcome of what might happen. He knew that his teammates, even if they were hardly friends, would take it very badly. Suddenly, everyone's thoughts where interrupted by said blonde walking up.

"Sorry I'm late guys…" Everyone looked over at Naruto, and held back surprise. Black pants, a simple black shirt, and body armor. On his back was a sword. Was this even the same boy that they had known? The one running around screaming about being Hokage? Naruto glanced away, biting his lip gently, and spoke.

"I have some news…" Kakashi smiled gently, glad that Naruto had taken the transfer, even if it meant losing his favorite student. Setting his book down, he turned his attention to Naruto, before he spoke.

"You took it didn't you?" Naruto looked at Kakashi in shock, before nodding softly. Kakashi smiled, and patted him on the head, before looking at him once more. Naruto saw something in the man's eyes he had never really seen before. Recognition, pride… Respect. "You are now one of them… And I look forward to seeing how you grow. Look me up if you ever want a sparring partner or some tips okay?"

Naruto nodded softly, as Kakashi smiled and gave the three a minute. Walking over to the other side of the bridge, he opened his book and continued reading. Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto in confusion, their bodies resting against the side of the bridge. Naruto took a deep breath, before he spoke, leveling his gaze to look at them both.

"I'm transferring out of Team Seven."

Silence.

They didn't know what to say, it came as a shock to say the least, Sakura was stunned into silence by what he had just said, and Sasuke didn't know what to make of it. They stood there, each lost in their own thoughts, while Naruto's mind raced through possibilities of what they might say.

God why couldn't they just say something. This silence was unbearably, it hurt and it clutched at his body, suffocating him to the point where he just wanted to escape. Part of him wanted to say goodbye, turn, and bolt down the street. To run to his apartment and not leave it till he was summoned. To escape the shocked looks on the faces of both of his former team mates. He just wanted to escape, he just wanted to get out, and he just wanted to run—

"Why?"

Surprisingly it was Sasuke who spoke first, his gaze steady on Naruto. Naruto sighed, and let his body lean against the side of the bridge, feeling the course wood on his back he winced slightly, before speaking once more.

"I'm not strong enough… to protect you both. And I've found someone who wants to make me as strong as I could possibly be. He wants to take me in and train me to the best of my abilities, and I want him to. I refuse to be the reason you both are killed, okay?" Naruto spoke, his gaze down at the ground. Sasuke's mind raced softly, before he snorted and walked to Naruto, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Dobe… When you come back, I'm gonna want a fight to see how much you've grown, you realize that right?" Naruto glanced up at Sasuke, and grinned. Moving his own hand, he clapped Sasuke on the shoulder back, and rubbed his nose.

"Well I can't wait to beat your ass Sasuke." Sasuke snorted, and looked him dead in the eye, his eyes holding a slight twinkle in them

"We'll see Dobe, we'll see."

Sakura remained silent through all of this, her thought process going in a completely different direction. She felt abandoned, let down… left behind, and she hated it. She didn't know how to react to it, and so she did the first thing that came to her mind.

"Why don't you just go already, we don't need you anyways."

The second those words left her mouth, she regretted them. But she was so filled with anger she couldn't bring herself to say sorry. All she could do was stare at Naruto and glare. She couldn't believe that he would ever even think about leaving them, after all they had been through. It was like a knife had just been jammed into her heart, making it hurt beyond what she believed possible. She felt betrayed, left, hurt. And she wanted him to know how she felt. She didn't care that what she had said was completely uncalled for, or that it had hurt Naruto more than anything she had ever said to him before. She just wanted him to know. Naruto took a step back in shock, and even Sasuke looked at her in surprise. Naruto nodded his head softly, before turning to Sasuke.

"Take care of them for me yeah? You know where I live, come spar with me sometime…" Sasuke nodded softly, before speaking once more, his voice now laced with a hint of sadness as his eyes turned to look up at Naruto. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them, one forged from almost dying together. They where brothers, in everything but blood, and nothing would be able to change that, no matter what hardships they faced together or apart.

"Take care of yourself Dobe." Naruto chuckled sadly, his eyes turning to avoid Sakura, before he spoke once more. He had understood the meaning behind such a few simple words from someone he had once hated with all his being. His body twisted softly, as he lifted his thumb up slightly, rubbed his nose, and grinned at Sasuke.

"Always." Sasuke snorted at this, his eyes brightening slightly at Naruto's words.

With that, Naruto turned and walked away. Sakura stared after him, before what she had said fully registered with her. Shuddering slightly, she turned, and ran. She ran home, her need to escape the current situation overtaking her body and causing her to run. Sasuke just stood there, before he turned to Kakashi and spoke.

"So what now?"

-Naruto-

He sat there, on his bed, his mind filled with thoughts. Tomorrow was the day; he had just received a summons from the Hokage to come meet his new teachers tomorrow. He was excited, but also sad. Today's events had gone admittedly better than expected, but it still hurt. He knew, deep down, that Sakura hadn't meant those things she had said, but it still hurt to think about them. He let his body fall backwards onto his rough lumpy bed, and tried to slide into a comfortable position.

His mind wandered over the current events of the day, and he was amazed by how much he had realized in just a few short hours. When he finally got the stupid thoughts out of his head, when he finally talked to someone of more experience than him, it all came together. And he finally understood what was going on around him. And he hated himself for not seeing it sooner, for not realizing sooner that he needed to change or he was going to end up dead.

Yawning gently, Naruto turned on his side, and observed his wall. He was worried about tomorrow, what it would bring. But more than that, he was excited, excited to be accepted somewhere. With that thought came a wave of terror. What if they didn't like him, didn't accept him. What if they flat out shunned him? He didn't want to go back to that; he didn't want to go back to being alone. Then he reasoned with himself, if that happened, he was sure the old man would let him return to his team, and he wouldn't haven't to be stuck there for the rest of his life.

But, his mind kept going back to what Shinji had said, about him being a part of their family. He prayed that they would accept him, that they would treat him like one of their own. And the more he thought about it, the larger his fear of rejection grew. But, he reasoned to himself as he started to drift to sleep, mumbling out his thoughts before he passed into the bliss of sleep.

"Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained."

-End Chapter 2-

A/n: So hope you enjoyed it, you got a taste of what Unit does. I got a few questions in my reviews, all six of them, and to that I say thank you to Paladin-kriss, Twin Silver Dragon, Tobi Fan 321, Big-smexy, LbcLostKid, and that first reviewer whose name was not left, but who also left me one of the best reviews I've ever had. So thank you guys, for reviewing, I look forward to many more from you.

Now for your questions! Which I will not be answering, because I'd rather leave you all in suspense about what's going to happen : D. that's how I roll. Anyways, already starting to work on the next chapter, so keep your head up, it should be up in a bit. Next up, Naruto meets his Sensei and the team of Unit, and starts his training.


	3. Training, Blood and Pain

A/N: Okay first off, I want to give special salute to Geor-Sama, who has granted me permission to use his Hibi style in this story. If you don't know his story, Alternate History and its sequel, Shinobi Wars, please do check them out. I promise you, you will almost never read a better story on here. It is without a doubt one of the best stories on this site, hands down. Go Read It.

On that note, the style that appears heavily in this story, the Hibi style is not mine in any way at all. But it fit my Naruto perfectly, so I will do my best to give it its proper dues to Geor-sama. On with the Story.

Unit

Chapter 3

Rain washed it away.

Blood brings it back.

Life.

Rain. Located in a rather warm and moist climate, it wasn't unusual for it to rain in Konoha; in fact it was one of the most pleasant things that could happen. Due to the generally hot air, and humid climate, the rain was never that cold. It was a time when many people could be seen out and about, young couples kissing in the rain, and children playing in the puddles. Yes, for many, rain was a joyous time, a time to have fun and relax.

To one Naruto Uzumaki, it held a different, but far more important, meaning.

It washed away the guilt, the pain, the shame. To him, rain was the world's way of starting new. The air was always so fresh after it rained, and it was always so crisp and clear during the rain. The feeling of water drops upon his skin as he walked soothed him, washed away all the pain and hurt he had ever suffered. It was a chance to start anew, to restart the previous day with high expectations. And that was true, now more than ever.

His feet bounced off the pavement as he walked, the rain falling softly around him as he made his way to the Hokage tower. It was still rather early, being only 6 in the morning, so there were few people out and about. The dawn was fire bright, against the city lights of the early morning, painting the world around him in an orange glow. On any other day, he would have headed up to the Hokage monument to watch the sunrise, but today was different.

He had been summoned to the Hokage's office, to meet his new team. Yesterday he had told his team he was transferring out of Team 7, but he hadn't told them where too. He was transferring to a special operations unit, whose name he still didn't know. But he had high hopes for this transfer, even if the fear of being rejected was still eating away at his gut, the uneasy feeling churning in his stomach, drawing and calling for his attention.

Thinking of his stomach, made him hungry. His stomach rumbled in protest, calling out for food, but Naruto ignored it. He had to go see the Hokage and meet his new team, as he had vowed to himself to start acting more like a Shinobi then an idiot, and thus didn't want to be late in the slightest. A real Shinobi would put duty above what he wanted, would be able to take in observations in the blink of an eye, and would be able to see trouble before it came. He had neglected many of the basic's any good Shinobi had to possess, and it astounded him that he had done so in the first place.

Thinking this train of thoughts made Naruto's mind wander to yesterday to the old man at Ichiraku Ramen, and how he had been able to tell how ignorant Naruto was just from the information given to him. All Naruto had said was that he ate ramen every day, but, he reasoned, it could have been more than that; The way he spoke, his mannerism, his boastfulness... all of these where traits of a green ninja, not someone who had experienced much first hand. It still surprised him when he thought about it, how that man had been able to tell so much from just a look and a few words. But, he supposed, those where the traits of a good Shinobi, traits he himself hoped to attain one day.

His thoughts were interrupted suddenly, as was his steps, by a familiar voice coming from behind him. His heart stopped upon hearing it, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Naruto…" Sakura spoke softly, her voice barely penetrating the soft pitter patter of the rain on the buildings and streets around them. Naruto turned slowly, till he was standing in front of her, and took in the girl whom he had had a crush on for some time. Her green eye where cast to the side, glancing away from him, and her pink hair was matted from the rain falling around them. He shuffled awkwardly on his feet, before he spoke, his voice surprisingly dulled for the normally loud blonde.

"Hi Sakura…" They both stood, silent for a moment, the tension in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife. Naruto kept his gaze firmly on the girl in front of him, even as she refused to look him in the eye. His mind was racing a mile a minute, wondering what she wanted. He couldn't even fathom why she was talking to him, she had seemed pretty pissed yesterday, and her words had cut deeply. His thoughts were interrupted when she spoke, her voice still quiet and timid.

"I wanted… To apologize for yesterday… I was out of line treating you like that, and I really shouldn't have— "

"It's fine Sakura… Really." Naruto spoke, cutting her off mid sentence, "I understand why you did it… I really do... what does confuse me is why you're apologizing… you've never been one to say sorry." He chuckled lightly after saying that, trying desperately to defuse the tension in the air.

Sakura shuffled softly on her feet, her own mind racing with thoughts. The reason she had apologized, she had come to realize, was because the blonde had meant a little more then she had realized to her, had become more of a friend then she had originally intended him to be. She didn't want to lose him, and she had realized that after she had talked with Sasuke last night. It had been hard, but she had come to understand that he meant a good deal to her, and that she had been selfish to throw it away because she had been hurt. She didn't want him knowing that of course, because he would probably think that she liked him or some silly nonsense like that, so she decided to stretch the truth just a tad.

"After… I left last night I went home and just kinda sat in my room for a few hours… next thing I knew Sasuke-kun was at my house. He asked to come in, and of course I let him, I mean its Sasuke-kun… and he said he wanted to talk about you. I was, albeit, reluctant to at first… but after awhile we both came to realize you… had become a friend to us, and yes we were shitty friends to you, but Sasuke-kun told me I should apologize… and I really felt I needed to as well…"

Naruto took in the girl in front of him, who seemed so much more shy and timid then the girl he had come to know as Sakura Haruno. She had, seemingly, matured a little over night, and he appreciated the change in behavior. Now the only question he faced was what to do from here, and it seemed Sakura herself had the answer to that question.

"Me and Sasuke think, it would be a good idea if we got together every once in awhile to talk… you know, to keep up our friendship, if you want that is." She hastily added the last part, mistaking the look of surprise on his face for one of disagreement. Naruto smiled brightly, before he spoke, his eyes squinting slightly, his hand rising to rub the back of his head.

"I'd like that. A lot," Sakura smiled brightly upon hearing this, and nodded her head once, "For now though, I have to get going. I gotta meet the Hokage and my new teacher today, bright and early! I'll see you later Sakura-chan!" Naruto said as he turned and continued on his way to the Hokage tower. Sakura waved at him, before speaking herself.

"Then meet us today at Ichiraku at 6! See you there Naruto!" Naruto waved over his shoulder in acknowledgment, but otherwise paid little attention to what she had said. His thoughts where racing a mile a minute, and he couldn't be happier. Sakura seemed to have turned over a new leaf, seemingly overnight, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei where both fine with the transfer, and he was going to be trained by some of the best ninja in the village. His life, in the past 94 hours, had gone from difficult and worrying, to amazingly bright, and his hope for the future had skyrocketed.

Naruto walked along towards the Hokage tower, a bright smile plastered on his face. It didn't leave his face the entire way, not when a villager scowled at him, not when he almost stepped in what looked like horse droppings, but had to have come from a large dog, not when the Chunin guards in front of the tower had almost attempted to block his path.

He stopped, finally, in front of the Hokage's office, and knocked softly three times. He was answered by the old man's voice telling him to enter, and instead of throwing the door open like he normally would have; he entered into the room slowly, closing the door softly behind him.

-Later: Training field 42-

"Wait what" Naruto stared at the man in front of him in shock. Two hours ago he had met with the Hokage, and had met with the man Shinji once again. Now, they were standing in an empty training field on the outskirts of the village. According to Shinji, there was no time to lose when it came to starting training, which Naruto completely agreed with, so they had headed immediately to a nearby training field. Thus they had ended up here, standing in the empty training field across from each other.

"You heard me. What they teach in the academy is all good and well for the standard ninja, but you're not one of them anymore. Your one of us now. You will forget everything you learned in the academy except the three basic Ninjutsu. Now because of how Unit is run, with two men per team, and each team specializing in one aspect of what they do, you will be filling the role of the member we recently lost. We will be training you as an assassination specialist. And the first step in that is to forget everything you learned in the academy. We have our own teaching style and our own methods, both of which are not combatable in any way with the academy teaching style. So, forget it, all of it." Shinji spoke calmly, his body betraying nothing of his thoughts inside.

He was excited, ecstatic in fact, because he had never seen someone with so much potential to be great. Naruto was one of a kind, and he would become one of the greatest ninja Konohagakure had ever seen if given the chance. But the first step in that was to make him forget what he had learned in the academy. It was good for the standard ninja team, taught the basics of how to survive and how to defend themselves, but overall it was not what they needed. Most ninja saw combat no more than 100 times in their career, with ANBU and Jounin seeing it no more than five hundred times on average. Unit members saw it more than 2000 times on average in their lifetime, and the stress and huge velocity of combat they partook in was far too extreme for the academy style to compensate for.

"But, I don't understand. What am I going to be learning… exactly?" Naruto spoke, his head lowered slightly, as he looked at the man in front of him. Shinji sighed softly, before letting his body rest against the hard bark of the tree behind him, feeling it bite into his skin. Rubbing his head gently, he thought carefully over his next few words, before he spoke.

"Well first we need to refine what little you need to know, and then we're going to start you on Taijutsu. Unit never uses flashy Ninjutsu unless they have to, preferring instead stealth over power. The enemy that doesn't see you is the enemy that can't defend himself from your attacks. Now from what I understand, you have an above average grasp on the basics, being able to perform them with just one seal correct?" Naruto nodded softly, "Good. What most people don't realize is that the three basic Academy Ninjutsu, Kawamari Bushin and Henge, are probably the three most versatile and useful of all ninja techniques. Your job for this morning is to find one deadly style of attack using these jutsu and these jutsu alone. I'll be back in three hours to see how you're doing"

Naruto twitched at that, and watched the man disappear in a puff of smoke. Sighing softly, he sat down and scratched his head. He had been expecting to learn some new jutsu and learn how to kick epic amounts of ass. Not to be thrust back into what he considered was the most basic of all basic things for a ninja to know. Looking upwards, he let his mind wander over what he had just heard.

The most deadly and versatile of all techniques? How in the hell where such simple things so deadly, he couldn't see it in any way. The Henge was just to disguise yourself as something, which admittedly he did see a powerful aspect in that. He had used it quite successfully against Zabuza in wave, and he could use it again against Shinji. But that would feel like cheating, and Naruto was not a cheater, so he turned his mind to the other techniques. Bushin, obviously, was used as manly a distraction. But Naruto didn't have the chakra control to pull off a standard Bushin because of his overwhelming amount of Chakra, so he stuck with Kage Bushin. Mobbing an enemy with thousands of them, while admittedly not very practical, was still deadly. So he turned his attention to the last technique.

Kawamari. The jutsu used to replace oneself with an Object to escape from harm. He couldn't see anything that would make that useful at all. It was only ever used to escape from harm, be it a deadly blade thrown at you, or a hail of Shuriken and Kunai. That was how they had learned to use it, and how they had always used it. Though he didn't see it used often, the times when he did he clearly understood how it was useful as an escape technique. But that was the problem, that's all it was ever used as.

Naruto brightened.

Of course, that was all it was ever used as, but it was not all it COULD be used as. His thought process took off, the Kawamari was used to substitute an object for your body, and it just took more concentration to pull it off with a smaller object. So, in theory, he could use it to move around his opponent in a fast motion, confusing and having many openings for attacks. But that would require that he could switch with something small that was abundant all over the elemental countries. He couldn't really think of anything that was that abundant all over, no matter how hard he tried to. Sighing gently, Naruto let his body fall backwards against the tree behind him, feeling it shake and the bark bite into his skin softly.

A leaf fluttered to the ground in front of him.

Naruto grinned again.

He had just come up with an idea, one that could confuse the enemy while also dealing several punishing strikes. The only problem with it was the fact that the Kawamari No Jutsu acted on a principle of equivalent exchange, the smaller the object you wanted to switch with the more chakra it took to do so. This, of course, wasn't so much of a problem for him, because of his furry little friend stuck in his gut, but at the same time it wouldn't be the most practical of techniques to use if you were looking for a stealthy kill, but Shinji hadn't said anything about that aspect being incorporated in this training exercise.

Naruto rubbed his hands, and stood, before pumping a single fist in the air and exclaiming to himself, scaring several birds and a deer in the process.

"Let's do this!"

-Three hours later-

Shinji walked into the clearing to see a grinning Naruto surrounded by leafs. Blinking, he walked to the boy and cleared his throat, causing Naruto to glance up at him. Shinji chuckled once, and looked around the clearing, taking in the image of the leaves around the boy and wondering what on earth he could have thought up.

"So which one did you choose?" The question was simple, but Naruto understood what he meant immediately, and grinned before he spoke, his eyes alight with a devilish glint. He straightened up slightly, before he spoke once more, his voice holding a slight hint of smugness to it.

"Kawamari." Shinji chuckled lightly, before he spoke once more, his body shifting slightly into a stance, which Naruto immediately followed. His own body slept into his standard brawler stance, his fist in front of his face to protect it from damage.

"Show me."

Naruto sprung into action, focusing his body and compressing Chakra inside of it. Letting out a grunt, he forced it out, causing it to swirl around his body, kicking up the dust and the leaves as he did so. Grunting in exertion, he turned just in time to see Shinji's body on top of his. His eyes widened, watching the fist come at him. Closing his eyes, Naruto forced his concentration even higher.

Shinji watched his fist rocket towards the boy's face, only to suddenly hit nothing. Blinking, he turned quickly feeling something behind him, to block a kick from behind aimed at his head. Twisting once more, he brought his own leg upwards at the boys chakra encased body, only to see it hit air again. His eyes narrowed, as he observed a leaf flutter from his kick. Twisting his body once more, he blocked a right hook from the boy, who had suddenly appeared beside him. Smirking softly, having realized what the boy was doing, he waited. Feeling chakra move to his right, he twisted far faster than he had so far, his foot rocketing out to connect with the boy's stomach, sending him backwards.

Naruto hit the ground hard, his chakra faltering and fading away. Shaking gently, he stood up and looked at Shinji with a grin, proud of himself for coming up with such a deadly attack. His eyes widened, his breath quickened, and his blood raced seeing Shinji slipping into a different style. He was about to voice his confusion, when Shinji spoke up.

"Who said we were done?"

Naruto gulped.

Suddenly, Shinji was in front of him, his leg coming out to connect with Naruto's jaw. Flying backwards, Naruto fought against the pain and twisted his body, landing in a crouch, he shot off at Shinji. Twisting his body to the right, he let his leg come out and upwards at the man's jaw, only to watch Shinji lean impossibly backwards, his own foot coming upwards to kick Naruto's own leg. He felt the bone snap under the pressure, his foot easily crushing the leg inwards.

Naruto screamed and hit the ground, only to roll from the leg quickly descending on his head. The pain was intense, overwhelming, and incredible. His body filled with an agonizing feeling, the center of it was on his leg. He stalled for a second, before looking upwards and seeing a foot coming rocketing towards him. Instincts took over, his body moved of its own accord, and he launched himself to the side to avoid the attack. Landing heavily on his injured leg, he let out a grunt of pain, before leaning on his uninjured leg to support himself. He could already feel the Kyuubi healing him, but it wouldn't be enough. Twisting around a punch aimed at his face, he brought his arm upwards towards Shinji's stomach, only to watch the man slap it aside and receive a fist to the face.

Flying backwards, he landed hard and felt blood in his mouth. The metallic copper taste flooded his taste, his head swam and his body felt light. Stumbling softly where he stood, Naruto shook his head quickly, trying to shake off the sudden dizziness. Shinji grinned at him, before he let his body dash at him once more. This time was far faster than normal, and Naruto barely twisted out of the way of a fist coming towards his stomach. Turning his body once more to face the man, he was greeted by the sight of a Kunai rocketing towards his neck. It was too fast to move, his body wouldn't react, and he knew this was the end.

Suddenly, the Kunai stopped, the tip poking harshly against his skin. He gulped and looked at Shinji, his body standing rock still as the man looked him over. He could feel Kyuubi's hot Chakra flooding through his body, working to repair the heavy damage to his body, and it made him tremble. Shinji nodded, and slipped the Kunai away into his pouch, his body shifting into a relaxed stance, he spoke to the boy in front of him.

"Your reaction time is slow, but above average for a Genin. Your Taijutsu is non-existent, something we'll have to fix. I didn't give you enough time to try any Ninjutsu you may know, and I doubt you know any Genjutsu. So first things first, we'll start with your Taijutsu tomorrow. Today, I want to go over several of the basics with you, before we start your Taijutsu training." Shinji spoke, his voice holding none of the deadliness that he had just displayed in the spar they had just partaken in.

"Like what?" Naruto asked, his voice betraying the curiosity that he was trying to hide. Shinji chuckled inwardly to himself, before he drew out a piece of paper, and held it in front of him.

"This is a Chakra Elemental Affinity Paper. I won't go into how it was made, because I'm sure that would just bore you, but when you push Chakra into the paper, it will tell you which Element you are most likely to have an affinity for."

"…Huh?" Shinji sighed, before rubbing the back of his head and gesturing for Naruto to sit down. Naruto did as he was told, sitting cross legged in front of his new teacher, who took a seat in front of him.

"Every Shinobi has an element in chakra that they are more… In tuned with. There are 5 main elemental affinities; Earth, Wind, Water, Fire and Lightning. If you have an affinity for one of them, that means they will be ten times stronger, at the least. Depending on how high an affinity you have for said element, it could be as strong as a hundred times stronger."

Naruto blinked, before he nodded his head in understanding. His gut flared in glee, he hopped he got Fire so he could outclass Sasuke in his own jutsu. Shinji handed the paper to the boy, and spoke once more.

"Now, you have to push chakra into the paper, and it will tell you what element you have an affinity for. If its fire, the paper will burn, lighting the paper will crumble, Earth the paper will fall to dust, Water it will be soaked, and Wind, it will be cut down the middle." Shinji explained, to which Naruto nodded. He focused his mind, and pushed Chakra into the card, before watching it become shredded to pieces.

Shinji Whistled, watching the pieces flutter to the ground.

"It seems like you have an incredibly high affinity for wind jutsu, this is good." Naruto grumbled lightly, before he responded, his voice slightly downcast.

"I was hoping for fire, so I could show that bastard Sasuke up next time we spar in his own jutsu." Shinji chuckled, well aware that while Naruto was a Shinobi, he was still just a 13 year old boy who clearly acted mostly his age. Shinji patted Naruto on the head, before he spoke.

"Wind is a very powerful element, and is most defiantly the most powerful offensive element out there. Plus, there aren't many other high level wind users, and with the level of affinity you just showed, if you put your mind to it, you might just become the best wind user in the elemental countries. It will take years of work, but I believe in you."

Naruto smiled at this, before giving Shinji thumbs up. Shinji chuckled lightly before he continued speaking, his voice returning to a soft level.

"Now, I want to go over what I'm going to be teaching you. You'll need a higher reaction time, and very few kinds of training can teach that, but we'll get to that tomorrow," Naruto blinked at this, wondering what he meant, but Shinji continued without an elaboration, "Also, you will be learning a style that fits assassination specialists perfectly. It's called the Hibi style, and it focuses on not telegraphing your movements, making it nearly impossible for your opponent to predict what you're going to do. This makes it especially deadly against those who use Doujutsus."

Naruto blinked, rubbing the back of his head before speaking.

"Ano… Um… what do you mean by telegraphing my movements?" he said, looking at Shinji expectantly.

"When you move, there are small movements in your body that signify which way you're about to move. The way your eyes flick to the side, the way your weight shifts when you take a step, the way your body moves in general. Many people don't realize that they're doing it, but they are. What you're doing when your fighting is telegraphing your movements, and a skilled enemy, or one with a doujutsus, will be able to pick up on that easily, and be able to predict what you're going to do likely before you yourself do."

Naruto blinked, half understanding what the man in front of him had said, but grasping it enough to understand that it would be useful in a fight. If the enemy he was fighting couldn't predict his moves, then he would be able to beat many people easily. He was about to speak his consent at learning it, when Shinji spoke again.

"Also, the style not only teaches you how to not telegraph your movements, it will teach you out to project your movements, slightly, so that to your opponent it seems like you're going to go one way, when in fact you'll go the other. To them, they'll be able to see you and have a guard up for your attacks, and then suddenly you'll vanish from there line of sight, and be able to deliver punishing blows to them. It's, like I said, especially useful against someone with a Doujutsu, like that Sasuke friend of yours.

Naruto grinned at this, knowing full well that Sasuke used the Sharingan which was classified as a doujutsus. Shinji let out a small laugh at seeing the eagerness on the boy's face, before he continued speaking.

"We will also be teaching you Genjutsu, while you may not have a talent for it; you still have to learn how to cast small ones, and how to dispel all kinds of them. You'll be learning advanced stealth procedures as well, to help augment your already impressive stealth abilities.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to train you myself, as I have many other duties to attend to. So, your partner and mentor will teach you himself, and he'll be here tomorrow. You'll be learning wind jutsu from a good friend of mine, a Jounin named Asuma. You'll also learn advanced chakra control techniques, such as water walking, which will also be taught by your teammate. For now, I want a list of every jutsu you know."

Naruto blinked at this, realizing that he didn't know many jutsu at all. He counted them in his head, something he had never done before, before he spoke out to Shinji.

"4, the three basic academy jutsu and the Kage Bushin No Jutsu." Shinji nodded softly, wondering if he should tell the boy about the benefits of the Kage Bushin no jutsu and its secret training abilities. But he decided to leave that to Reaper, but he would indeed tell them man about Naruto's own abilities. Nodding to himself, he stood up and walked across the clearing, leaving a puzzled Naruto looking at him. Stopping at the edge of the clearing he turned to face Naruto, before he spoke.

"Now, I want a light spar. I won't be going all out on you; I'll drop my level closer to your own. I want to see how well you think on your feet when you're not completely outclassed." Naruto nodded, slightly scared of the prospect of fighting the man in front of him once more. Standing up, he looked forward at Shinji, who nodded at him to start his attack.

Naruto dashed at the man, his feet flowing across the ground with surprising speed, before launching a devastating left hook at Shinji's head. Shinji dropped his body lower, letting the fist fly overhead easily, before letting his own fist rocket out at Naruto's stomach.

"What the Fu-Ugrk" Naruto felt the wind leave his stomach, but recovered quickly by bringing his knee upwards at Shinji's face. Shinji scowled softly, placing his hand on the knee to stop it, before gripping it and throwing Naruto over his shoulder. Naruto flipped mid air to land, glaring at Shinji once more. Shinji turned to look at him, before he spoke.

"Stop coming at me head on like a Civilian brawler, you're only gonna get yourself and everyone you know killed that way." Naruto growled out in anger, before letting his hands flash through a few signs.

"Oh yeah! Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" Suddenly, there were at least 30 Naruto's surrounding Shinji, who sighed gently watching him. While with any Genin and some low leveled Chunin, the mob them from all sides tactic would work, for anyone with any power and skill it would only be an annoyance. Shinji ducked lazily out of the way of the first clone, before slamming his fist into its throat, watching it vanish in a poof of smoke. He turned once more to lash out at another clone, only to duck backwards as a Kunai fly at him. He was about to commend Naruto on thinking a bit more when he heard one of the boys Bushin's pop from his own Kunai. He sweat dropped, before twisting and sending a Naruto clone that had tried to get close flying into two others, dispelling them both.

Naruto growled out from where he was hiding in the trees, watching the older ninja systematically decimate his small clone army. He needed a plan, cause without one he would never land a hit or even come close to one. Watching the man move, Naruto thought gently before he grinned, his plan set in his mind he leaped out at Shinji, before switching places mid air with a Bushin. It seemed Shinji wasn't expecting much, cause he just decimated the clone swiftly, having not even noticed Naruto switching.

The whole plan counted on Shinji underestimating him, otherwise it would never work, and as Naruto watched from inside his own clone army, he grinned.

Shinji twisted around another clone, before chopping it in the back of the neck, only to turn and catch another clone by its face and slam it into the ground. Sighing he stood and spoke, while twisting around another clone.

"You'll never hit me like this Naruto, give it up." All the Naruto clones growled, before one leapt out of the crowed. Shinji figured this was the real one, as none of the other clones showed any initiative, so he went for a grappling move to toss the boy to the side. He was surprised when, after tossing the boy, he poofed out, only to turn and notice another clone jumping at his face. Sighing gently, he sent out a weak punch into the clones body, expecting to see the tell tale poof emerge from the clone.

It didn't happen.

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise, as Naruto let out a quick kick at the older man's unguarded chin. Shinji leaned back, but still felt the boys toes graze his chin, before flipping backwards softly, regarding the boy with a slightly impressive look on his face.

"Good job, you used my own arrogance against me. You thought quickly on your feet, and kept attacking with clones till I let my guard down. It only worked because, I'll admit, I underestimated you… but it won't happen again." Shinji spoke, before dropping into a different stance, "And now, I'll be taking it harder on you."

Naruto grinned, before he dashed at the older Shinobi once more, launching a right hook at his face. His punch was caught, as expected, but what he hadn't expected was for pain to explode in his left cheek, and to feel blood welling up in his mouth. Falling onto his butt, Naruto put his hand up to his mouth, feeling the large bruise on his cheek and spitting out some blood (along with a tooth). Looking up at Shinji, he paled.

"Oh where just getting started…" Shinji spoke.

-Ichiraku Ramen: 6 PM-

Sakura and Sasuke sat at on the stools at the bar, making idly chit chat to pass the time. Sense Naruto had left the team, they had both, one consciously, the other sub-consciously, sought each other out for comfort. In one day, Sasuke had gone from being utterly annoyed with Sakura, to considering her as a sorta-friend. Sakura, on the other hand, was delighted that Sasuke-kun was now paying attention to her, but she was doing her best not to push it. Naruto leaving the team had caused both of them to re-evaluate their lives, and Sakura had realized that she had been rather annoying in her advances on Sasuke.

"I wonder where he could be?" Sakura asked, her voice piped with curiosity. Sasuke was about to answer her, when he saw the blonde in question entering the stall, and his eyes widened slightly in shock. Sakura followed his gaze, and felt her mouth drop open slightly at the sight of the bloodied and disgruntled blond.

He shuffled slowly towards them, his body weary from being beaten around for the past few hours, and pulled himself up onto the stool slowly. Sakura gapped for a moment, taking in his hole ridden bloodied clothes, while Sasuke tried to find the courage to speak. After a long moment, he finally did, and as he spoke he did his best to hide his surprise at the sight of the blonde.

"What happened to you Dobe?" Naruto grunted softly, before lifting his head to look at the two of them.

"Training…" he muttered, his voice stifled inside of his arms. He didn't even feel like he had the strength to lift his head, much less have a full conversation, but he hopped eating some food would cure that.

"What kind of training put you in that state?" Sakura asked, finally finding the courage to speak. Naruto sighed, before letting his head flop back down on the counter, mumbling out his usual order to a shocked looking Ayame, before he answered his friend's question.

"I don't know, but I do know I have never been this tired in my entire life. I hope my regular trainer and not his boss is way kinder to me then that bastard Shinji is." He mumbled the last part out, but both of his former team mates caught it. Both had similar thoughts on who Shinji could be, but there orders where just arriving, courtesy of a still shocked looking Ayame, and they decided to put them off till they had eaten there full.

Naruto dug into his ramen, with slightly less than his usual gusto, and both Sakura and Sasuke ate slowly and politely. They made small talk, mostly focusing on the former twos days, while they ate, with Naruto asking the occasional question.

"Yeah, and then Kakashi-sensei had us both fight him at the same time, and man did he ever beat us around." Sakura grumbled out, to which Sasuke grunted in agreement. They had been put through what they considered the ringer by there Cyclopes sensei, but after seeing Naruto they thought he might have been taking it a tad easy on them, "my head still hurts from when he punched me, ugh."

"Yeah, least he didn't jab you in the eye when you tried to use your families' bloodline on him… My eyes are still sore." Sasuke mumbled out spitefully, to which Naruto laughed slightly. It was good to spend time with them like this, which was way better then how they had used to spend time. Finishing their meals, they sat for a good ten more minutes before Sasuke stood and spoke.

"Well I better get going… Gotta get up early to see Kakashi again."

"Kakashi-Sensei Sasuke-kun, show some respect." Sakura spoke, before stopping and looking forward slightly in shock. Both Naruto and Sasuke mirrored her surprise; she had never spoken like that to him before. Sasuke blinked, before he snorted and smirked, waving goodbye and walking out of the stall. Sakura sighed and also stood, turning to Naruto and speaking.

"Yeah, I'd better get going as well, I have to get up just as early to see Kakashi-sensei." Naruto nodded, standing up as well and paying for his food. Turning to Sakura, he spoke, his body screaming for him to go get some sleep, but his mind deciding otherwise.

"Do you want me to walk you home Sakura-chan?" Sakura turned to look at him, a "No" Already on her lips, before she took in the sight of him. It was obvious to everyone that he was dead tired, and probably really wanted to sleep, but still he offered to walk her home. Smiling softly at the gesture, she decided that one walk home wasn't going to hurt her chances with Sasuke-kun, and who knows? It might actually improve them if he got jealous.

"Sure, I'd like that Naruto." Naruto visibly perked up at this, expecting her to say no, and smiled at her. They both walked outside and started walking along the way to her house, which wasn't too terribly far from the ramen stand. As they walked, Sakura noticed the villagers still out and about giving him weary looks, and some even hateful, and for the first time she truly thought about the reason behind it.

It couldn't be because he was a prankster, which would explain some mean looks but not downright hateful like she was seeing from the odd villager. A simple prank or two (or a Dozen), would never cause that much hate for the boy, and she found herself wondering why. She filed it away for a later date, when she had more time to think about it. They arrived at her house, and both said pleasant goodbyes, before she went inside.

Naruto watched her walk inside, his heart slightly giddy at the fact that Sakura had actually said yes for once, before he turned and made his way slowly home. His eyes felt like they were going to fall out of his skull at any second, and now all he wanted to do was get home and sleep. He made it all the way to his apartment un-accosted, and groggily made his way through his door. Slipping off his sandals, his body armor, and his sword, he wearily made his way to his bedroom, where he took off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He would pick it up later, he reasoned, after he had had a chance to sleep. Letting his body hit his lumpy mattress, he drifted to sleep faster than he had in a long while.

It felt like just seconds later, that he was awoken by a disturbance in his own mind. There was something wrong, something was out of place, and it took him a moment to realize that someone was in his apartment with him. It was still dark out, so it couldn't be any later than 5 in the morning yet, and the only reason he could think of for someone to be in his apartment this early (or at all) was to do him bodily harm. So, he reached into his bedside cupboard and pulled out the pair of Kunai he always kept in there. Slipping them into his hands, he slipped out of his bed and into the hallways.

Making his way towards the kitchen, where he saw a light on he knew he hadn't left on, he glanced around the doorway and saw what could only be a Shinobi standing in front of his counter. Slipping back into the cover of darkness, he took a deep breath and counted to three, before twisting around the corner and throwing one of the Kunai, exactly the way Shinji had shown him.

The figure didn't even look up, just reached out into the air and plucked the Kunai out of it, before speaking.

"Thanks, I needed this." Naruto blinked, before he realized that the man (he could tell by the voice) was now using his Kunai to chop up what looked to be pieces of meat. Naruto let his other kunai fall to his side, before he spoke.

"Um, who are you?" Naruto asked, now filing the man away as a non-treat. The man didn't speak, but continued what he was doing, and that's when Naruto's other sense's caught up with him. He smelled food, and the air was hot from the heat of the stove.

This man was eating his food!

"Hey! Why are you eating my food! I work hard to pay for that you know!" Naruto yelled at the man, who glanced over his shoulder at the boy.

"Why? Because I'm hungry that's why, why else does anyone eat anything?" the man said, before flicking the stove off and shoving food onto two plates. Turning around, Naruto finally got a good look at the man, now recognizable as a young man, and blinked.

He was slightly tall, and obviously a Shinobi. Dressed in a black short sleeved shirt and plane blue jeans, the only thing that set him apart from civilians was the way he walked and the Haiti on top of his head. He set both plates down on the table, before sitting and starting to eat. Naruto just watched him, his body in a form of mute shock, before the man looked up at him once more.

"Well? Are you gonna join me or what? I mean it IS your food, as you kindly pointed out." It was at this point that Naruto realized that, yes, the man had laid two plates down in front of him, one obviously intended for Naruto. Naruto blinked, before sitting down and looking at the food, his suspicion raising. It could be poison, but, Naruto realized, he had seen the man take the food out of the same pan as his own, and Naruto had been watching closely enough he felt sure there was no poison in his food. Taking a bit, Naruto brightened.

Man, this guy could cook.

They both ate in silence till there food was gone, Naruto glancing every so often at the man who sat in front of him, the man apparently lost in his own bliss in the food. The second they had finished though, Naruto set down his chopsticks and spoke, his voice still heavy with suspicion.

"So, who are you?" The man chuckled lightly, the mirth evident in his eyes, before he himself spoke.

"Yoshiro Tsujimoto, Codename Reaper… I'm your new teammate and teacher!" He exclaimed a bit too loud. Naruto blinked, taking in the man in front of him.

He couldn't be more than 24!

He was about to voice his concerns when the man spoke again, his voice still holding that same happiness that Naruto found more creepy then actual happiness.

"Call me Shiro, everyone else does. I've come by to get you up and ready for training today! Which starts in a half hour, at training field twenty seven, and you had better get there on time or I'll make sure your training is twice as hard today as normal." With that, the man stood and waved, and before Naruto could get a word in, he vanished in the tell-tale Shushin. Naruto sat there, staring at the spot Shiro had just occupied, before he blinked.

He didn't even know where training field twenty seven was.

-A half hour later: Training ground 27—

Naruto huffed as he ran into the training field, making it just in time. He had spent a good twenty minutes asking passing ninja for directions to this damn place, before he had finally discovered that it was on the opposite side of the village from where he currently was. He had run the entire way there, mumbling out apologies the entire way to the few civilians who were out and about that he had almost knocked over. Now, finally here, he looked around to find his new sensei, but found the man was nowhere in sight.

Naruto's rage boiled.

"That son of a Bitch!" He was about to stomp back to his apartment and sulk, when a voice said from behind him.

"Excuse me?" Naruto turned around, startled, and lost his balance. Falling onto his butt, he looked upwards at the amused face of Shiro, who was grinning down at him. Grumbling as he stood up, Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the man.

"Well at least you made it on time! Now, we'll jump straight into this by first seeing what you can do, so come at me with everything you have." Naruto blinked, before shrugging. He might get some payback on this guy for making him fall onto his butt. Naruto cracked his neck, and made a slight show of taking deep breaths, before he suddenly sprang at the man not two feet from him, his leg coming upwards to kick him in the face.

Suddenly he was upside down; his face level with Shiro's who had somehow lifted him up enough to come face to face with him. Naruto was about to tell them man to put him down when his vision flashed white and his face exploded into pain. He sensed more than felt his body hitting the ground through the pain, and his hands went instinctively up to his nose, trying to stem the steady flow of blood that was coming down it. Shiro just watched him, his face no longer looking happy, but now one of cold indifference. He stood there, patently, while Naruto struggled to get to his senses. Finally, though his face still hurt, Naruto stood up and looked at him.

"The fuck was that for you crazy bastard!"

"You attack head on, expecting to overwhelm a far superior opponent, which is not only childish and stupid, but will get you killed. Come at me again." Naruto growled out at the man, his rage building, and dashed at him. Shiro sighed, catching the punch with lazy ease that Naruto had thrown at him, before pushing two fingers into the Adams apple of his neck. Naruto let out a chocking sound, and hit the ground, but he was ready this time, his foot lashing up for a kick. Shiro glanced down at him, swatted his kick out of the way, and stomped his foot down at Naruto's chest.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw it, and even though he could barely breathe from the strike to his neck, he flipped his body to the side and out of the way. Landing on a steady base of all fours, he tried to push himself up, but was caught unguarded when Shiro's foot impacted his stomach, sending him up into the air.

Naruto had a brief sense of vertigo and weightlessness, before he felt Shiro's foot slam into his chest mid-air, sending him rocketing backwards into a tree. Shiro didn't advance on him now, and in fact, Naruto registered through the pain his body was currently in, he hadn't moved at all except to block or attack him. Growling out, Naruto stood and his hands flashed through hand seals.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" ten Naruto's now stood side by side with Naruto, who was enraged that this man treated him as if he was nothing more than an annoying bug to be swatted out of the air. Charging forward, all the Naruto's surrounded Shiro, who looked at them through a mask of bored indifference. Naruto growled out, before sending his clones into attack.

Shiro hardly blinked, ducking under one clone's attack, while catching another by the throat and shoving him upwards with a great amount of force. The two clones slammed into each other, before bursting into smoke, just as he twisted around the punch of another clone, bringing his leg with the momentum to kick it in the back, sending it flying into another two clones. Leaning forward, he bent down and quickly adjusted his sandal strap, as a clone who had been aiming at his back flew overhead. Standing back up, he flicked his fist out, sending it slamming into a clone that had tried to get him un-aware, before twisting and back-handing the now rebounding clone that had missed him in the face.

Twisting once more, he suddenly let a knife blade drop from his sleeve, bringing it out and slashing out at the throats of the remaining clones and the original Naruto, whose eyes widened in surprise he leaned back just in time, the blade still drawing a thin line of blood along his throat, while the remaining clones all poofed out of existence. Shiro slid the blade back up his arm, before he spoke, his voice still holding that bored indifferent tone.

"You come at me like that again, and I will break something." Naruto growled, watching the man, trying to tell if he was bluffing. Shiro nodded softly at Naruto, before speaking.

"Good, maybe you have some sense in that thick skull of yours." Naruto growled out before he launched himself at the man, throwing a right hook at his face while screaming.

"Fuck you!" His hand was caught, and suddenly forced backwards on itself, his wrist breaking with a snap. Naruto let out a startled cry of pain, before he hit the ground cradling his now broken wrist, taking deep even breaths to try and ease the pain. He glanced up at Shiro, who looked at him darkly.

"I never to stop, in fact I have seen the levels of your offensive capabilities, and now want to test you on defense." Naruto's eyes widened, just as he registered Shiro disappearing in a blur of speed. Throwing his body backwards, he landed on his feet, barely teetering to keep his balance. Suddenly he felt more pain, as a fist appeared in his stomach and he was lifted upwards. Shiro held him there for a second, before letting him drop.

"Too fast I see… I'll slow it down a bit." Naruto growled as he jumped backwards from his prone position, landing a good ten meters from Shiro. Shiro looked at Naruto, his gaze taking in the boy. Shinji had been right, he had great potential for a Genin, he was shrugging everything off like it was nothing, and showed no signs of chakra depletion from his use of ten shadow clones.

Suddenly, Shiro was shooting at Naruto, who raised his hands in the style of the Academy Taijutsu. Training took over as Naruto watched Shiro move in for a forward jab, and he lifted his wrist slightly to block it, his sight still clearly on Shiro. Suddenly, Shiro was gone from his line of sight, and he felt a jab in his stomach that left him slightly winded. Eyes widening Naruto turned his head slightly, seeing Shiro somehow inside his guard, about to deliver a punishing blow to his sternum.

Dropping his body weight, Naruto let his hand flash upwards and barely managed to block the punch, which caused Shiro to break his indifference slightly with a hint of amusement in his eyes, before he spoke.

"Good." And suddenly, Naruto was flying backwards from a kick that he had failed to see. Spinning mid air he landed, his hands coming upwards to block Shiro's follow up attack, which surprisingly didn't come. Looking forward, Naruto saw Shiro coming at him once more, his leg rising slightly for a kick to the side, which Naruto let his left arm drop slightly to block. Suddenly, Again, Shiro vanished and Naruto felt a fist connect with his chin, sending him upwards and causing him to nearly bite through his own tongue. He hit the ground hard, and felt the blood welling in his mouth, but he stood up through the pain and looked at Shiro.

"Having trouble? Maybe I should tone it down even more, till a civilian could keep up with me." Naruto growled loudly, and launched himself at the man, his broken wrist hurting inside his arm, but the lesson behind it forgotten in his rage. He let his left arm go out for a feint attack, before bringing his right hand down at Shiro's stomach, ignoring his broken wrist.

This time, Shiro grabbed his broken wrist, and twisted once more. Pain exploded into Naruto, and he hit the ground, his eyes weary from the pain as he felt himself black out. In those final moments of consciousness, he realized something.

Shiro had been using the Hibi style, and that's why he couldn't see him.

Then, Naruto was out like a light.

-Twenty Minutes Later-

Naruto sat up, feeling the pain in his wrist he winced, but it had subsided quite a bit. Looking around, he saw Shiro looking at him with slight curiosity. He growled out at the man he had now decided was psychotic and wanted to kill him, but was silenced when Shiro spoke.

"It's interesting… The Kyuubi apparently gives you an outstanding ability to heal yourself from any wound…" Naruto blinked, before realizing that he was right, he always healed far faster than any of his friends. Blinking Naruto struggled to stand, his body hurting all over from the brief exchange they had had not too long ago, and turned to look at Shiro.

"So? I heal fast, big deal." Shiro looked up at Naruto, and then grinned, the first sign of true emotion Naruto had seen on his face sense they had started this whole shebang, though the way he grinned was far more insane then happy.

"So that means I can hurt you all I want, and you'll just get back up."

Naruto paled.

-16 Hours Later-

He hurt… All over his body he hurt, in places he didn't even know he could hurt, he hurt. He had thought he had hurt yesterday, had been tired yesterday, but nope, this was a brand new kind of hurt. A hurt that tore at his body, eating away at his muscles and bones, making him feel like he was dying. Even his formerly broken in several places wrist was just an add on to the amount of pain he felt coursing through his body, and even just thinking about said pain seemed to incress it tenfold, so he tried his hardest to put it out of his mind.

It didn't work all that well.

His feet shuffled along the hard cobbled road, as he blearily made his way towards what he hopped was his apartment. His mind was tired, his body had gone from fine, to in massive amounts of pain, to numb from the pain, and back to massive amounts of pain throughout the day, and right now he just wanted to sleep. Finally, locating his apartment, he fumbled with the keys for a moment before finally getting inside. Setting his keys down on the counter beside the door, he flipped on a light to make sure he didn't stub his toe on something as he made his way inside. Not that it mattered, cause what would one more bruise be on top of what he had already been through today.

His body throbbed painfully.

He was thinking about pain again.

He made his way throw the hallway, stripping off his clothes as he did so. He tossed them around the room, not worrying about where they landed because at this point, it didn't really matter. Stumbling into the bed room, he flopped onto his bed, and fell into blissful sleep that only lasted a few minutes, before it turned to nightmares of a crazy man trying to kill him.

It seemed like a mere ten minutes later, but in reality was several hours later, that he woke to a slap to the face. Shooting up, his body sluggish to respond, he cried out in pain and glared around his room, only to find Shiro standing there looking at him with that grin that had been on his face last morning.

"Morning sunshine! Time to wake up, its 4 AM and time to start your training!" Naruto balked at the last statement, before he shouted out in righteous indignation, his arms waving comically above his head.

"Four in the MORNING! He woke me up this early to get me to start training! Are you fucking insane Shiro!" Shiro blinked, before standing back and adopting a hurt look.

"I'm hurt Naruto, insane? Hardly, crazy yes, but I still have a good quarter of my sanity left!" Naruto blinked at this, before Shiro lifted him up by the hem of his shirt and pulled him out of bed, dragging him along the floor and ignoring his protests at such treatment.

"And besides! We start sword training today."

Naruto paled something he felt he had been doing too much lately.

-Elsewhere-

"And you're sure this will work?" a voice said from the shadows of a large room. Tuji Kurosaki looked in the direction of the shadows, before he spoke, his voice subservient and low. He made sure to show all the proper respect that the man in the shadow deserved, as any less would be an insult to the man, and he could be punished for his insolence. So, after a quick glance in the direction the man sat, he lowered his head and stayed in his kneeling position, before speaking.

"Of course my lord, when we finally have the preparations in place and our agents are settled in, we can begin the first phase. Konoha won't know what hit them." The man hummed its agreement through the shadows, before the man made a gesture with his hand, barely seeable through the veil of shadow surrounding the man.

"Very well, you've done well Tuji, and I reward those who serve their Kage so well. You may pick your very own team to help you lead in this… endeavor. Do not fail me, and do not be discovered, because if you are you know it will surely spell war… long before we are truly ready to engage in it." Tuji nodded, before standing up and saluting the shadowed corner, and making his way out of the room.

He had spent his whole life planning for this moment, for a chance to strike back at the leaf for what they had done in the past. They had wronged him and his country, had stood on their pedestal of being the strongest of them all for far too long, and it was time for them to be cut down a peg or two. The strongest of the five or not, they had been getting lax in recent years, too secure in their own dominance to take the proper precautions to protect against intrusion. He would allow the some peace, for the time being, until everything was in place.

He cackled lightly to himself, excitement coursing through his body, and he knew exactly whom he was going to pick for his team. They were all like minded individuals, ready and willing to do whatever it took to secure what they needed. He would talk to each of them, in private, and bring them into his plan. Now that he had gotten the Kage on board, the man old as he may be was still an incredibly powerful Shinobi, he felt sure that he could succeeded in his plan. Now, all he had to do was finish the preparations and get everyone in place.

And to send out a missive to that snake, Orochimaru.

-End Chapter—

Well I hope you all liked it, and I know I quite enjoy what I have come up with, so please read and review, and let me know what you think. I would give out shout outs to people, who revived, but there's too many of them and I remember hearing that if I did that I could get my story removed. So from now on, you only get a shout-out if you leave a truly outstanding or helpful review. Remember, I don't mind friendly criticism, just be nice about it and not flaming.

NEXT TIME! Naruto continues his training, learns a few moves, and meets Asuma. Sakura and Sasuke get a new teammate, and the plot thickens only slightly.


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